Philippines

"The Philippines has no way to deter China outside this alliance," he says. "It's buying BrahMos missiles from India. The US would like to deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles. Together they can hold Chinese vessels."With increasing concern about a conflict over Taiwan, the Philippines could offer a "rear access area" for US military operations, or even a place to evacuate refugees."People forget there are between 150,000-200,000 Filipinos living in Taiwan," Mr Poling says.